Commuter virus?

DES MOINES – A recent study funded by stakeholders in the pork industry found that porcine epidemic diarrhea virus can be spread by contaminated transport trailers.

The study assessed the risk of contamination at pig collection points such as packing plants. Researchers collected samples pre- and post-delivery from 669 livestock trailers at seven packing plants. The study found that:

• 17 percent of trailers were contaminated with PEDV before unloading the pigs; and
• 11 percent of trailers that were not contaminated with PEDV on arrival were subsequently contaminated during unloading.

The Pork Checkoff is advising industry that the best way to prevent the spread of PeDV is through strict biosecurity measures:

• When going to another site or packing plant, wear coveralls and boots when outside of the truck to prevent contamination in the cab of the trailer.
• Establish a clean and dirty zone for farm and transport workers to follow during load-in and load-out.
• Completely clean, disinfect and dry trailers after use; this is especially important when going to commingled sites like cull depots, packing plants or buying stations.

Additional biosecurity and livestock production resources can be found at pork.org and the National Biosecurity Resource Center. The Pork Checkoff, the National Pork Producers Council and the American Association of Swine Veterinarians funded the study.

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